La Nuit Profonde
New paintings by Nobel laureate Gao Xingjian will go on show at iPreciation art gallery. Of the 28 ink paintings in the exhibition titled La Nuit Profonde, 17 are works created between 2020 and 2022.
The artist, who paints only in ink, often pits lonely figures against a vast, dramatic landscape. In a statement, his paintings are described as “a visual illustration of the stream of consciousness”.
Gao, born in China in 1940, moved to France in 1987 and became a French citizen a decade later. He is also a novelist, playwright, poet, theatre and film director, photographer and philosopher.
When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2000, the Swedish Academy said it was “for an oeuvre of universal validity, bitter insights and linguistic ingenuity”.
Gao’s paintings, however, reveal a different side to him. He has written that “painting begins where language fails”. With paintings like La Meditation (2022), which measures 34.5cm by 32cm, it is a sense of inner peace that is communicated.
Where: iPreciation, 01-01 HPL House, 50 Cuscaden Road
MRT: Orchard
When: March 17 to April 1, Mondays to Fridays, 10am to 7pm; Saturdays, 11am to 6pm; Sundays and public holidays, by appointment only
Admission: Free
Info: www.ipreciation.com
The Ties That Bind
Digital artist Shavonne Wong will hold her first solo exhibition, The Ties That Bind, at UltraSuperNew Gallery.
Known for creating digital art featuring 3D virtual models and sold as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on blockchain platforms, the artist will debut works that incorporate new technology.
Some of her works in this show use footfall sensors that track the number of people in the gallery, triggering reactions from her virtual models. Viewers will be able to see the subtle changes occurring in real-time on screens mounted on the gallery walls.
The largest screen is an 86-inch one with the work titled The Weight Of The World, which shows a virtual model carrying bags of various sizes. This piece is sold as an open-edition NFT that will keep changing as the bags – which represent the collective weight of the world – are removed from the artwork at various stages, depending on the number of NFT sales.
In the work called The Invisible March Of Time II, Wong’s virtual model ages from 18 to 100 in 30 minutes. There is a corresponding NFT work in which the model ages with the artist herself, with the artwork changing every year.
Where: UltraSuperNew Gallery, 168 Tyrwhitt Road
MRT: Bendemeer
When: March 18 to 31, noon to 8pm; closed on Mondays
Admission: Free
Info: www.shavonnewong.art/exhibition
Tree Spirit: Visions Of The Arboreal By Lim Tze Peng
Works by Cultural Medallion recipient Lim Tze Peng from the mid-2000s are on show at The Arts House until March 19.
Of the 13 ink paintings presented by Not gallery, nine have never been exhibited before.
Lim was born in 1921 and is today better known for his scenes of early Singapore and abstract Chinese calligraphy. With this exhibition, the gallery’s founder Lim Hong Wei has brought together works owned by private collectors that are lesser known and more experimental.
As the exhibition’s title suggests, the works are inspired by banyan trees, which the artist painted with bold black ink brushwork and sparing use of colour.
Not gallery will also hold a virtual exhibition on the Web platform spatial/io till March 31, which will have an additional three paintings for viewing.
Where: Gallery 2, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane
MRT: City Hall
When: Till March 19, noon to 7pm daily
Admission: Free
Info: Go to str.sg/iZk5 for the virtual exhibition
